Table saw with actuator reset mechanism

ABSTRACT

A power tool in one embodiment includes a work-piece support surface, a swing arm assembly movable along a swing path between a first swing arm position whereat a portion of a shaping device supported by the swing arm assembly extends above the work-piece support surface and a second swing arm position whereat the portion of the shaping device does not extend above the work-piece support surface, a latch hold pivotable between a first latch hold position whereat the swing arm assembly can be supported by the latch hold in the first swing arm position and a second latch hold position whereat the swing arm assembly cannot be supported by the latch hold in the first swing arm position, an actuator chamber configured to receive at least one actuator, an opening in the actuator chamber, and a plug aligned with the opening and connected to the latch hold.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser.No. 12/548,342, filed Aug. 26, 2009, the entire contents of which arehereby totally incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Cross-reference is made to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No.12/547,818 entitled “Table Saw with Actuator Module” by Mehta et al.,which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patent application Ser.No. 12/547,859 entitled “Table Saw with Dust Shield” by Chung, which wasfiled on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No.12/547,912 entitled “Table Saw with Positive Locking Mechanism” by Chunget al., which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patentapplication Ser. No. 12/547,977 entitled “Table Saw with Belt Stop” byChung, which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patent applicationSer. No. 12/548,035 entitled “Table Saw with Alignment Plate” by Chunget al., which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patentapplication Ser. No. 12/548,156 entitled “Table Saw with Swing ArmSupport” by Chung et al., which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utilitypatent application Ser. No. 12/548,201 entitled “Table Saw withMechanical Fuse” by Oberheim, which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009; U.S.Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/548,236 entitled “Table Saw withPressure Operated Actuator” by Fischer et al., which was filed on Aug.26, 2009; U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/548,263 entitled“Table Saw with Reset Mechanism” by Groth et al., which was filed onAug. 26, 2009; U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/548,280entitled “Table Saw with Linkage Drop System” by Holmes et al., whichwas filed on Aug. 26, 2009; and U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No.12/548,317 entitled “Table Saw with Ratchet Mechanism” by Chung et al.,which was filed on Aug. 26, 2009, the entirety of each of which isincorporated herein by reference. The principles of the presentinvention may be combined with features disclosed in those patentapplications.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to power tools and more particularly topower tools with exposed shaping devices.

BACKGROUND

A number of power tools have been produced to facilitate forming a workpiece into a desired shape. One such power tool is a table saw. A widerange of table saws are available for a variety of uses. Some table sawssuch a cabinet table saws are very heavy and relatively immobile. Othertable saws, sometimes referred to as jobsite table saws, are relativelylight. Jobsite table saws are thus portable so that a worker canposition the table saw at a job site. Some accuracy is typicallysacrificed in making a table saw sufficiently light to be mobile. Theconvenience of locating a table saw at a job site, however, makes jobsite table saws very desirable in applications such as generalconstruction projects.

All table saws, including cabinet table saws and job site table saws,present a safety concern because the saw blade of the table saw istypically very sharp and moving at a high rate of speed. Accordingly,severe injury such as severed digits and deep lacerations can occuralmost instantaneously. A number of different safety systems have beendeveloped for table saws in response to the dangers inherent in anexposed blade moving at high speed. One such safety system is a bladeguard. Blade guards movably enclose the saw blade, thereby providing aphysical barrier that must be moved before the rotating blade isexposed. While blade guards are effective to prevent some injuries, theblade guards can be removed by a user either for convenience of usingthe table saw or because the blade guard is not compatible for use witha particular shaping device. By way of example, a blade guard istypically not compatible with a dado blade and must typically be removedwhen performing non-through cuts.

Table saw safety systems have also been developed which are intended tostop the blade when a user's hand approaches or touches the blade.Various stopping devices have been developed including braking deviceswhich are physically inserted into the teeth of the blade. Suchapproaches are extremely effective. Upon actuation of this type ofbraking device, however, the blade is typically ruined because of thebraking member. Additionally, the braking member is typically destroyed.Accordingly, each time the safety device is actuated; significantresources must be expended to replace the blade and the braking member.Another shortcoming of this type of safety device is that the shapingdevice must be toothed. Moreover, if a spare blade and braking memberare not on hand, a user must travel to a store to obtain replacements.Thus, while effective, this type of safety system can be expensive andinconvenient.

Some safety systems incorporating blade braking systems also move theblade below the surface of the table saw once the blade has beenstopped. In this type of system, a latch is typically used to maintainthe blade in position above the table saw surface until the brakingsystem is activated. Some of these systems incorporate an actuator whichis used to force the blade below the surface of the table saw. This typeof safety feature may be defeated, for example, by removing theactuator.

In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a powertool with a safety system that does not interfere with shapingprocedures. A safety system that did not damage the blade or othershaping device when the safety system is activated would be furtheradvantageous. A further advantage would be realized by a safety systemthat could disable the table saw in the event that the actuator was notinserted into the table saw.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a table saw which includes awork-piece support surface, a swing arm assembly movable along a swingpath between a first swing arm position whereat a portion of a shapingdevice supported by the swing arm assembly extends above the work-piecesupport surface and a second swing arm position whereat the portion ofthe shaping device does not extend above the work-piece support surface,a latch hold pivotable between a first latch hold position whereat theswing arm assembly can be supported by the latch hold in the first swingarm position and a second latch hold position whereat the swing armassembly cannot be supported by the latch hold in the first swing armposition, an actuator chamber configured to receive at least oneactuator, an opening in the actuator chamber, and a plug aligned withthe opening and connected to the latch hold such that when the latchhold is in the second latch hold position the plug is positioned atleast partially within the actuator chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and together with a description serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts a top perspective view of a table saw incorporating amitigation system in accordance with principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a bottom perspective view of the table saw of FIG. 1 withthe housing removed showing a movable carriage mounted on a pivotingframe beneath the work-piece support surface;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the swing arm assembly of the tablesaw of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts a partial perspective cross-sectional view of the swingarm assembly of FIG. 3 supported by a latch assembly including a latchhold that is biased against the swing arm assembly;

FIG. 5 depicts a partial cross-section view of a swing arm assembly heldin position by a latch pin biased against a latch hold;

FIG. 6 depicts a partial perspective view of the swing arm assembly andlatch assembly of FIG. 1 after the actuator has been actuated therebyforcing the latch pin off of the latch hold such that the swing armassembly moves away from the latch assembly;

FIG. 7 depicts a partial perspective view of the swing arm assembly andlatch assembly of FIG. 1 after the swing arm assembly has cleared thelatch hold allowing the latch hold to be biased into the swing path;

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict schematic cross-sectional views for an actuatorreset mechanism that may be used with the table saw of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7C and 7D depict simplified schematics of the swing arm assemblyand latch hold positions corresponding the to actuator reset mechanismpositions of FIGS. 7A and 7B;

FIG. 8 depicts a partial perspective view of the swing arm assembly andlatch assembly of FIG. 1 after the swing arm assembly has rebounded offof the stop pad and has been captured by a latch hold ledge therebykeeping the shaping device below the surface of the work-piece supportsurface;

FIG. 9A depicts a partial perspective view of the swing arm assembly andlatch assembly of FIG. 1 after the swing arm assembly has rebounded offof the stop pad and has been captured by a secondary latch hold ledgethereby keeping the shaping device below the surface of the work-piecesupport surface;

FIG. 9B depicts a perspective exploded view of the riving knife of FIG.1; and

FIG. 9C depicts a bottom perspective view of the table saw of FIG. 1with the housing removed showing the riving knife positioned beneath thework-piece support surface and pivoted away from the swing path.

FIG. 10 depicts a partial perspective cross-sectional view of a powertool with a latching pin that does not rotate with the swing armmechanism;

FIG. 11 depicts a partial perspective cross-sectional view of a powertool with a vertical swing arm and a positive locking mechanism;

FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of the positive locking mechanism ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the positive lockingmechanism of FIG. 11 as an actuator pin contacts an actuation ramp in abore extending through the positive locking mechanism;

FIG. 14 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the positive lockingmechanism of FIG. 11 as a strike plate is exposed to the actuator pin ofFIG. 13 through the bore in the positive locking mechanism;

FIG. 15 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the positive lockingmechanism of FIG. 11 as the actuator pin of FIG. 13 impacts the strikeplate;

FIG. 16 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the power tool of FIG.11 as the swing arm assembly contacts a release on a rebound latch;

FIG. 17 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the power tool of FIG.11 with the swing arm assembly in contact with a latch foot on a reboundlatch for automatically positioning the rebound latch to arrestrebounding of the swing arm assembly off of a stop pad;

FIG. 18 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the power tool of FIG.11 with the swing arm assembly arrested from rebounding by the reboundlatch;

FIG. 19 depicts a schematic representation of the relative positions ofa shaping tool as a horizontally mounted swing arm and a verticallymounted swing arm move a blade to a location beneath a work-piecesupport surface;

FIG. 20 depicts a perspective view of a positive locking mechanism whichautomatically aligns an actuating ramp with an actuator;

FIG. 21 depicts a cross-sectional view of a positive locking mechanismwith a roller that reduces wear of the mechanism and which can be usedto reduce movement of a latched swing arm assembly;

FIG. 22 depicts a cross-sectional view of a positive locking mechanismwhich can be used to reduce movement of a latched swing arm assembly;

FIGS. 23 and 24 depict a positive locking mechanism which engages a pinin a swing arm assembly and with an actuation ramp extending from thebody of the mechanism, and which rotates about an axis of rotation thatis not parallel to the axis along which an actuator pin moves;

FIGS. 25 and 26 depict a positive locking mechanism which engages arecess in a swing arm assembly and with an actuation ramp defined in thebody of the mechanism, and which rotates about an axis of rotation thatis not parallel to the axis along which an actuator pin moves;

FIGS. 27 and 28 depict a positive locking mechanism which engages arecess in a swing arm assembly and with an actuation ramp defined in thebody of the mechanism, and which rotates about an axis of rotation thatis parallel to the axis along which an actuator pin moves;

FIG. 29 depicts a schematic diagram for an alternative mechanism foradjusting the blade height in the table saw of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 30 depicts a schematic diagram of the mechanism of FIG. 29 afterthe swing arm assembly has been de-latched.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Like reference characters indicate likeparts throughout the several views.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

While the power tools described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof havebeen shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein bedescribed in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is nointent to limit the power tools to the particular forms disclosed. Onthe contrary, the intention is to cover all combinations of features,modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, a table saw 100 is shown. The table saw 100includes a base housing 102 and a work-piece support surface 104. Asplitter 106 is positioned adjacent to a blade 108 which extends fromwithin the base housing 102 to above the work-piece support surface 104.A blade guard (not shown) may be attached to the splitter 106. An angleindicator 110 indicates the angle of the blade 108 with respect to thework-piece support surface 104. A bevel adjust turn-wheel 112 may beused to establish the angle of the blade 108 with respect to thework-piece support surface 104 by pivoting a frame 114 (shown in FIG. 2)within the base housing 102.

A motor 116 which is powered through a switch 118 located on the basehousing 102, is supported by a carriage assembly 120. The carriageassembly 120 and a stop pad 122 are supported by the frame 114. Thecarriage assembly 120 includes a carriage 124 to which the motor 116 ismounted and two guiderails 126/128. The position of the carriage 124along the guiderails 126/128 is controlled by a blade height turn-wheel130 through a gearing assembly 132 and a height adjustment rod 134. Thecarriage 124 fixedly supports a latch assembly 140 and pivotablysupports a swing arm assembly 142.

The swing arm assembly 142, also shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes ahousing 144. A strike plate 146 and a rebound plate 148 are mounted onthe housing 144. The housing 144 encloses a power wheel 150 that isdriven by a power shaft 152. The power shaft 152 may be directly drivenby the motor 116 or by a reduction gear. A belt 154 transfers rotationalmovement from the power wheel 150 to a blade wheel 156. A nut 158 isused to affix the blade 108 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for purpose ofclarity) to the blade wheel 156. A tensioner 160 maintains the belt 154at a desired tension.

With additional reference to FIG. 5, the swing arm assembly 142 alsoincludes a lip 164 and a latch pin 166 which is biased by a spring 168toward a latch hold 170 which is part of the latch assembly 140. In oneembodiment, the latch pin is fixedly attached to the swing arm assembly142. The latch hold 170 includes a latch ledge 172 and three reboundledges 174, 176, and 178 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the latchledge is formed complementarily to the shape of the latch pin 166. Thelatch assembly 140 further includes a base 180 and an actuator 182 withan actuator pin 184. Two springs 186 and 188 are positioned between thebase 180 and the latch hold 170 which is mounted by a pivot 190 to thecarriage 124.

Operation of the table saw 100 is described with reference to FIGS. 1-5.Initially, the swing arm assembly 142 is maintained in a latchedposition with the latch pin 166 resting on the latch ledge 170 as shownin FIG. 5. In this position, the springs 188 and 186 are undercompression and exert a bias on the latch hold 170 about the pivot 190in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4. The latch hold 170 is thusbiased into contact with the lip 164 of the swing arm assembly 142 whichrestricts rotation of the latch hold 170.

Additionally, the blade wheel 156 is positioned sufficiently close tothe work-piece support surface 104 that the blade 108 extends above thework-piece support surface 104 as shown in FIG. 1. A user operates thebevel adjust turn wheel 112 to pivot the frame 114 with respect to thework-piece support surface 104 to establish a desired angle between theblade 108 and the work-piece support surface 104. The user furtheroperates the blade height adjustment turn-wheel 130 to move the carriage124 along the guiderails 126/128 to establish a desired height of theblade 108 above the work-piece support surface 104.

Using the switch 118, power is then applied to the motor 116 causing theoutput shaft 152 and the power wheel 150 to rotate. Rotation of thepower wheel 150 causes the belt 154 to rotate the blade wheel 156 andthe blade 108 which is mounted on the blade wheel 156. A work-piece maythen be shaped by moving the work-piece into contact with the blade 108.

The table saw 100 includes a sensing and control circuit (not shown)which activates the actuator 182 in response to a sensed condition. Anydesired sensing and control circuit may be used for this purpose. Oneacceptable sensing and control circuit is described in U.S. Pat. No.6,922,153, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated byreference. The safety detection and protection system described in the'153 patent senses an unsafe condition and provides a control signalwhich, in the table saw 100, is used to actuate the actuator 182.

Upon actuation of the actuator 182, the actuator pin 184 is forcedoutwardly from the actuator 182. When the swing arm assembly 142 ismaintained in a latched position with the latch pin 164 resting on thelatch ledge 170 as shown in FIG. 5, the strike plate 146 is aligned withthe actuator 182. Accordingly, as the actuator pin 184 is forced out ofthe actuator 182, the actuator pin 184 impacts the strike plate 146.

The shape of the latch pin 166 and the latch ledge 172 is selected suchthat the impact of the actuator pin 184 on the strike plate 146generates a force tending to push the latch pin 166 against the spring168. The spring constant of the spring 168 and the operatingcharacteristics of the actuator 182 are selected such that when theactuator pin 184 impacts the strike plate 146 the generated force issufficient to compress the spring 168 and to force the latch pin 166into a position whereat the swing arm assembly 142 is no longermaintained in position adjacent to the latch assembly 140 by the latchpin 166. In embodiments with a rigid latch pin 166, the generated forcecauses the latch hold 170 to rotate about the pivot 190 in acounterclockwise direction thereby forcing the springs 186 and 188 intofurther compression. When the latch hold 170 has rotated sufficiently,the latch ledge moves out from underneath the latch pin 166.

In either event, the swing arm assembly 142 is no longer supported bythe latch hold 170. Consequently, the swing arm assembly 142 pivotsabout the power shaft 152 in the direction of the arrow 200 of FIG. 6such that the blade wheel 156 moves away from the work-piece supportsurface 104 through the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shownin FIG. 7. Accordingly, the blade 108 is pulled by the swing armassembly 142 in a direction away from the work-piece support surface104.

Because the latch ledge 172 is formed complementarily to the shape ofthe latch pin 166, the wear of the latch ledge 172 and the latch pin 166during the de-latching described above is reduced. Accordingly, thepressure needed to effect de-latching does not change significantly overmultiple actuations of the actuator 182.

As the swing arm assembly 142 moves in the direction of the arrow 200,the rebound plate 148 of the swing arm assembly 142 rotates below therebound ledge 178 of the latch hold 170. At this point, rotation of thelatch hold 170 about the pivot 190 is no longer restrained by the swingarm assembly 142. Accordingly, the springs 186 and 188 cause the latchhold 170 to rotate into a position whereat the rebound ledge 178 islocated in the swing path of the swing arm 142, that is, the path alongwhich the swing arm 142 moves, as shown in FIG. 7.

The configuration of FIG. 7 further shows the swing arm assembly 142rotated to a position whereat the swing arm assembly 142 contacts thestop pad 122. Accordingly, further rotation of the swing arm assembly142 in the direction of the arrow 200 of FIG. 6 is impeded by the stoppad 122. At this position, the blade 108 is completely located below thework-piece support surface 104. Therefore, an operator above thework-piece support surface 104 cannot be injured by the blade 108.

In one embodiment, the stop pad 122 is made with microcellularpolyurethane elastomer (MPE). MPEs form a material with numerousrandomly oriented air chambers. Some of the air chambers are closed andsome are linked. Additionally, the linked air chambers have varyingdegrees of communication between the chambers and the orientation of thelinked chambers varies. Accordingly, when the MPE structure iscompressed, air in the chambers is compressed. As the air is compressed,some of the air remains within various chambers, some of the airmigrates between other chambers and some of the air is expelled from thestructure. One such MPE is MH 24-65, commercially available fromElastogran GmbH under the trade name CELLASTO®. In alternativeembodiments, a “memory foam” may be used.

Use of an MPE or other appropriate material in the stop pad 122 stopsrotation of the swing arm assembly 142 without damaging the swing armassembly 142. Prior to impacting the stop pad 122, however, the swingarm assembly 142 may be moving with sufficient force to cause the swingarm assembly to rebound off of the stop pad 122. In such a circumstance,the swing arm assembly 142 will rotate about the power shaft 152 in acounterclockwise direction. Thus, the blade 108 moves toward thework-piece support surface 104. Movement of the blade 108 above thework-piece support surface 104, however, is inhibited by the latch hold170.

Specifically, because the springs 186 and 188 bias the latch hold 170 toa location within the swing path of the swing arm assembly 142, movementof the swing arm assembly 142 toward the work-piece support surface 104brings the rebound plate 148 into contact with the rebound ledge 178 asshown in FIG. 8. In the position of FIG. 8, the blade 108 remains belowthe surface of the work-piece support surface 104 even after the swingarm assembly 142 rebounds off of the stop pad 122. Therefore, anoperator above the work-piece support surface 104 cannot be injured bythe blade 108.

The spring constants for the springs 186 and 188 are thus selected toensure that the latch hold 170 is positioned within the swing path ofthe swing arm assembly 142 before the swing arm assembly 142 travelsfrom the latched position downwardly into contact with the stop pad 122and then upwardly to a position whereat the blade 108 is above thework-piece support surface 104. Of course, the time available for movingthe latch hold 170 into the swing path can be increased by moving thestop pad 122 further away from the work-piece support surface 104 alongthe swing path. Such modification increases the overall height of theframe 114, particularly for embodiments with variable blade height. Theincreased material for the frame 114 results in increased weight.Increased size and weight are generally not desired for movable powertools. Thus, positioning the stop pad 122 closer to the work-piecesupport surface 104 along the swing path reduces the height of the frame114 and the resultant weight of the table saw 100.

For some embodiments wherein the stop pad 122 is positioned closer tothe work-piece support surface 104 along the swing path, such as theembodiment of FIG. 1, the distance between the swing arm assembly 142 inthe latched position and the stop pad 122 is such that the swing armassembly 142 contacts the stop pad 122 before the rebound plate 148rotates beneath the rebound ledge 178. Accordingly, the rebound ledges174 and 176 are provided at locations above the rebound ledge 178 tocontact the rebound plate 148 when the swing arm assembly 142 isactuated with the carriage 124 positioned closer to the stop pad 122 asdepicted in FIG. 9A. In other embodiments, rebound ledges 174 and 176may be provided as safety measures in the event the latch hold 170 doesnot move with the designed speed.

The angle and length of the stop pad 122 are selected in the embodimentof FIG. 2 to o ensure that the swing arm assembly 142 contacts the stoppad 122 at the foot 192 (see FIG. 3) regardless of the initial height ofthe carriage 124. Thus the foot 192 receives the force of the impactwhen the swing arm assembly 142 contacts the stop pad 122. Accordingly,while the materials used to form the foot 192, the strike plate 146, andthe rebound plate 148 are selected to absorb multiple impacts, lightermaterials may be used in other areas of the swing arm assembly 142 tominimize weight of the table saw 100.

The riving knife 106 is also configured for use with the movablecarriage 124. Specifically, the riving knife 106 includes a channel 710with a first curved portion 712 ands a second curved portion 714 asshown in FIG. 9B. The riving knife 106 is mounted on the table saw 100using a pin 716 which is fixed with respect to the carriage 124 and aclamping member 718 which includes a cam portion 720 and a handle 722.

When the riving knife 106 is mounted on the table saw 100, the pin 716and the cam 720 extend through the channel 712. The handle 722 is usedto clamp the riving knife 106 at the desired position. The riving knife106 may thus be positioned above the blade 108 as shown in FIG. 1. Thechannel 710 allows the upper end of the riving knife 106 to be movedtoward the work-piece support surface 104 and even below the work-piecesupport surface 104 as shown in FIG. 9C. The curve of the curved portion712 is selected to have an origin that at or near the axis of rotationof the blade 108. Accordingly, the distance between the riving knife 106and the blade 108 remains substantially constant so long as the pin 716and the cam portion 720 are located within the curved portion 712.

When positioned below the work-piece support surface 104, the pin 716and the cam portion 720 are located within the second curved portion714. The curved portion 714 has an origin which is different from theorigin of the curved portion 712. In one embodiment, the origin of thecurved portion 714 is on a side of the riving knife 106 opposite to sideof the riving knife 106 on which the origin of the curved portion 712 islocated. Because the curved portion 714 is curved differently than thecurved portion 712, the riving knife 106 is pivoted away from the swingpath of the swing arm assembly 142, even when the carriage 124 ispositioned at the lowest position.

Once the sensed condition has been cleared, the swing arm assembly 142is reset by moving the latch hold 170 out of the swing path. This iseffected by compressing the springs 188 and 186. The swing arm assembly142 may then be rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the outputshaft 152 until the rebound plate 148 is adjacent to the upper surfaceof the latch hold 170. The latch hold 170 is then released and thesprings 188 and 186 bias the latch hold 170 about the pivot 190 intocontact with the lip 164 of the swing arm assembly 142 which restrictsrotation of the latch hold 170. Additionally, the swing arm assembly 142is maintained in a latched position with the latch pin 164 resting onthe latch ledge 170 as shown in FIG. 5.

The table saw 100 may be configured to ensure that an actuator is loadedinto the table saw 100. Referring to FIGS. 7A-7B, the actuator 182 ispositioned within an actuator chamber 500. A plug 502 is coupled to thelatch hold 170 by the springs 186 and 188. The plug 502 is aligned withan opening 504 in the chamber 500. When the actuator 182 is positionedwithin the chamber 500, the plug 502 is maintained outside of thechamber 500. Accordingly, the springs 186 and 188, which in theconfiguration of FIG. 7A are under compression, bias the latch hold 170in a clockwise direction about the pivot 190 to a location whereat theswing arm assembly 142 can be latched to the latch hold 170 in a mannersuch as discussed above and as shown in FIG. 7C.

In the event that the actuator 182 is not provided in the chamber 500,the plug 502 is permitted to pass through the opening 504 and into thechamber 500 as shown in FIG. 7B. Accordingly, the springs 186 and 188are not placed into compression and the latch hold is free to pivot in acounterclockwise direction about the pivot 190 to the position shown inFIG. 7B. Thus, when the swing arm assembly 142 is rotated into theposition shown in FIG. 7B by a user, the swing arm assembly cannot belatched to the latch hold 170 as shown in FIG. 7D. Accordingly, theswing arm assembly will drop toward the stop pad 122 when released by auser.

By resetting the actuator 182 (inserting a new actuator 182), theopening 504 is covered. Thus, the plug 502 moves back to the positiondepicted in FIG. 7A. In this position, the swing arm assembly 142 canonce again latch against the latch hold 170. The plug 502 hasrounded/chamfered corners 506 which facilitate insertion of an actuator182. In other embodiments, the plug 502 may be configured to interactwith an actuator housing or actuator module. Additionally, the actuatorpin 184 may be shaped to ensure that the actuator 182 is properlyfunctioning before the swing arm assembly 142 may be latched.

The table saw 100 thus actively monitors for an unsafe condition andinitiates mitigation action automatically in the event an unsafecondition is sensed. Additionally, movement and subsequent stopping ofthe swing arm assembly 172 is accomplished without requiring physicalcontact with the blade 108. Accordingly, the blade 108 is not damaged bythe mitigation action.

Moreover, because the mitigation action does not require interactionwith the blade 108, the mitigation system of the table saw 100 may beused with other shaping devices such as sanding wheels, blades withvarying dado blades, and molding head cutters, without requiring anymodification to the mitigation system. Additionally, because the movingcomponents of the mitigation system can be mounted on the frame 114, themitigation system can be used with any desired blade height or bevelangle.

The mitigation system discussed with respect to the table saw 100 can beimplemented using very light materials, and is thus amenable toincorporation into a variety of power tools including bench top saws andportable saws. For example, the components which are subjected toincreased stress within the mitigation system, such as the actuator pin184, the latch hold 170, the rebound plate 148, and the strike plate146, can be made of more durable materials including metals to withstandthe impacts and stresses of activating the mitigation system. Othercomponents, including the housings, may be fabricated from morelightweight materials to minimize the weight of the power tool.

If desired, the components of the table saw 100 may repositioned withinthe housing 102. By way of example, FIG. 10 depicts a power tool 202with a latch pin 204 positioned within a base 206. The latch pin 204 isbiased by a spring (not shown) toward a latch hold 208 which ispivotably mounted by a pivot 210 to a swing arm assembly 212. In thisembodiment, the latch hold 208 includes a latch ledge 214 and a singlerebound ledge 216. The base 206 includes a rebound plate 218. Anadditional rebound plate 220 is provided on the base 206 as a safetymeasure in the event the latch hold 208 does not move with the designedspeed in a manner similar to the latch hold 170. Operation of the powertool 202 as configured in the manner of FIG. 10 is substantiallyidentical to operation of the table saw 100 as configured in FIG. 4.

A further example of rearranged components is shown in FIG. 11, whereina power tool 230 includes a swing arm assembly 232 mounted vertically ona carriage assembly 234 below a slot 236 in a work support surface 238.The power tool 230 further includes an actuator 240 and a rebound latch242, both of which are also mounted to the carriage assembly 234. Theswing arm assembly 232 includes a power wheel 244 which rotates a bladewheel 246 through a belt 248. The swing arm assembly 232 furtherincludes a strike plate 250 and a latch plate 252.

The swing arm assembly 232 is maintained in the position shown in FIG.11 by a latch pin 254. The latch pin 254 is biased by a spring 256 intoa latch recess 258 in the swing arm assembly 232. The pin 254, alsoshown in FIG. 12, includes a head 260 and a body 262. A bore 264 extendsthrough the body 262 and includes an actuation ramp 266. The surface ofthe actuation ramp 266 is angled from an upper portion 268 of the bore264 to a lower portion 270 of the bore 264.

The rebound latch 242 is pivotably mounted to the carriage assembly 234by a pivot 272. A spring 274 biases the rebound latch 242 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 11. The rebound latch 242 includesa rebound ledge 276, a release 278, and a latch foot 280. A stop pad 282is also mounted to the carriage assembly 234.

Operation of the power tool 230 may be substantially identical tooperation of the table saw 100 through the firing of the actuator 240.When the actuator 240 is actuated, however, an actuator pin 290, shownin FIG. 13, is forced outwardly from the actuator 240 into contact withthe actuation ramp 266. The shape of the actuator pin 290 and theactuation ramp 266 forces the latch pin 254 against the spring 256. Theforce transferred from the actuator 240 is sufficient to overcome thebias of the spring 256. Accordingly, the spring 256 is compressed andthe pin 254 moves outwardly from the latch recess 258 to the positionshown in FIG. 14.

In FIG. 14, the latch pin 254 has moved to a position whereat the strikeplate 250 of the swing arm assembly 232 is exposed to the actuator pin290 through the lower portion 270 of the bore 264. Additionally, thehead 260 of the latch pin 254 has been moved to a position whereatrotation of the swing arm assembly 232 is not inhibited by the latch pin254, even though a portion of the latch pin 254 may remain within therecess 258.

Continued movement of the actuator pin 290 outwardly from the actuator240 causes the actuator pin 290 to contact the strike plate 250 asdepicted in FIG. 15. The actuator pin 290 transfers sufficient force tothe strike plate 250 to cause the swing arm assembly 232 to rotate aboutthe power wheel 244 in a manner similar to the rotation of the swing armassembly 142 described above. Rotation of the swing arm assembly 232brings the swing arm assembly 232 into contact with the release 278 ofthe rebound latch 242 as shown in FIG. 16. The force of the swing armassembly 232 is sufficient to overcome the bias of the spring 274thereby rotating the rebound latch 242 about the pivot 272 in thedirection of the arrow 284.

Once the rebound latch 242 has rotated sufficiently, the swing armassembly 232 slides past the release 278 and into contact with the latchfoot 280 as shown in FIG. 17. Continued rotation of the swing armassembly 232 forces the latch foot 280 downward, causing the reboundlatch 242 to rotate in the direction of the arrow 286 of FIG. 17. As therebound latch 242 rotates in the direction of the arrow 286, the reboundledge 276 is rotated into a position above the latch plate 252 as shownin FIG. 18.

The swing arm assembly 232 then rotates into contact with the stop pad282. In the event the swing arm assembly 232 begins to rebound off ofthe stop pad 282, the latch plate 252 moves into contact with therebound ledge 276 and rotation of the swing arm assembly 232 isarrested.

The vertical arm configuration of the tool 230 may be desirable inapplications wherein injury is most likely to occur as a result ofmovement parallel to the surface of the work piece support surface. Byway of example, FIG. 19 is a schematic of a work piece support surface300 with a shaping device 302 extending above the surface of the workpiece support surface 300. The shaping device 302 rotates about an axisdefined by a blade wheel 304. In a horizontal swing arm configuration,the blade wheel 304 is driven by a power shaft 306. In a vertical swingarm configuration, the blade wheel 304 is driven by a power shaft 308.

A work piece, for purpose of this example, is moved by a user toward theblade 302 in the direction of the arrow 310. Thus, the point at whichthe user is most likely to come into accidental contact with the shapingdevice 302 is at or near the location 312. When accelerated such as byan actuator 182, the blade wheel 304, in a horizontal swing armconfiguration, rotates from the position indicated by the blade wheel304 to the position indicated by the blade wheel 304 _(H1) in a firsttime interval. The location of the shaping device 302 associated withthe blade wheel 304 _(H1) is blade 302 _(H1). Thus, the blade 302 hasmoved from the location 312 to the location 314.

During the same time interval, the blade wheel 304, in a vertical swingarm configuration, rotates from the position indicated by the bladewheel 304 to the position indicated by the blade wheel 304 _(V1). Thelocation of the shaping device 302 associated with the blade wheel 304_(V1) is blade 302 _(V1). Thus, the blade 302 has moved from thelocation 312 to the location 316. Accordingly, the blade 302 is movedfarther away from the contact point 312 by the vertical configurationthan by the horizontal configuration.

Likewise, the blade wheel 304, in a horizontal swing arm configuration,rotates from the position indicated by the blade wheel 304 _(H1) to theposition indicated by the blade wheel 304 _(H2) in a second timeinterval. The location of the shaping device 302 associated with theblade wheel 304 _(H2) is blade 302 _(H2). Thus, the blade 302 has movedfrom the location 312 to the location 316 over two time intervals.

During the second time interval, the blade wheel 304, in a verticalswing arm configuration, rotates from the position indicated by theblade wheel 304 _(V1) to the position indicated by the blade wheel 304_(V2). The location of the shaping device 302 associated with the bladewheel 304 _(V2) is blade 302 _(V2). Thus, the blade 302 has moved fromthe location 312 to the location 318. Accordingly, the blade 302 movesaway from the contact point 312 by about a factor of two in the verticalconfiguration as compared to the horizontal configuration.

Thus, in applications wherein an injury is most likely to occur at oneside of the shaping device, a vertically oriented swing arm may be usedto mitigate injury. Most table saw applications will fit into thisscenario if a blade guard is installed. FIG. 19 similarly illustratesthat the horizontal swing arm configuration moves the blade downwardlyat a faster rate. Thus, in applications wherein the injury is mostlikely to occur at the top of the shaping device, a horizontal swing armconfiguration may be used to mitigate injury.

As described above, operation of the latch pin 254 is significantlydifferent from operation of the latch pin 166. Specifically, the latchpin 166 is operated by applying a force to the swing arm assembly 142.In contrast, the latch pin 254 is relatively immune to activation byapplication of force to the swing arm assembly 232. Accordingly, thelatch pin 254 is a positive locking mechanism that is not susceptible tounintentional unlocking absent complete failure of the latch pin 254.The latch pin 254 may thus be used in swing arms that are positioned inany desired orientation.

A variety of positive locking mechanisms, i.e., mechanisms wherein alatch is moved prior to application of rotational force to the swing armassembly, may be incorporated into power tools. One example of anotherpositive locking mechanism is the latch pin 320 of FIG. 20. The latchpin 320 includes a head 322 and a body 324. The latch pin 320 furtherincludes an actuation ramp 326 within a bore 328. While the latch pin320 is similar to the latch pin 254, the body 324 of the latch pin 320is substantially wider than the cylindrical body 262 of the latch pin254. Thus, the bore 328 of the latch pin 320 is easily maintained inalignment with an actuator pin. Additionally, a non-cylindrical bodysuch as the body 324 may provide enhanced alignment of the swing armwith which the body 324 is used.

Another positive locking mechanism is the latch pin 330 of FIG. 21. Thelatch pin 330 includes a head 332 and a body 334. The body 334 may beany desired shape including rectangular or cylindrical. The latch pin330 further includes an actuation ramp 336 within a bore 338. The latchpin 330 also includes a wheel 340 rotatably mounted in the head 332. Thewheel 340 reduces wear on the latch pin 330. Additionally, the wheel 340in this embodiment is configured to contact only one side of a recess342 in a swing arm 344. Accordingly, by providing another member whichlimits the upward or counter-clockwise travel of the swing arm 344, thewheel 340 is used to “pinch” the swing arm 344 to reduce or eliminateundesired movement of the swing arm 344.

Another positive locking mechanism is the latch pin 360 of FIG. 22. Thelatch pin 360 includes a head 362 and a body 364. The body 364 may beany desired shape including rectangular or cylindrical. The latch pin360 further includes an actuation ramp 366 within a bore 368. The head362 in this embodiment is configured to contact opposing tapered sidesof a recess 370 in a swing arm 372. Accordingly, seating of the head 362in the recess 370 eliminates undesired movement of the swing arm 372.Further reduction in non-axial movement of the latch pin 360 whilepermitting axial movement for locking and unlocking the swing arm 372 isprovided by oil impregnated bushings 374.

A positive locking mechanism may also be provided in the form ofrotating latch pin such as the latch pin 380 depicted in FIGS. 23 and24. The latch pin 380 includes a head 382 and a body 384. The latch pin380 further includes an actuation ramp 386 extending from the body 384.The head 382 includes a hook portion 388 which engages a retaining pin390 in a swing arm 392. The latch pin 380 is pivotably supported by apivot pin 394 and biased toward the retaining pin 390 by a spring 396.When the hook portion 388 engages the retaining pin 390, the actuationramp 386 is aligned with an actuator pin 398.

In operation, movement of the actuator pin 398 causes the actuator pin398 to impinge the actuation ramp 386 of the latch pin 380 imparting arotational force to the latch pin 380. The actuation ramp 386 thusconverts axial force from the actuator pin 398 to a rotational force.The rotational force overcomes the bias of the spring 396 causing thelatch pin 380 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction about the pivotpin 394. The shape of the hook portion 388 and the retaining pin 390along with the location of the hook portion 388 relative to the pivotpin 394 is selected to ensure that an upward force is not imparted ontothe retaining pin 390 from the latch pin 384 during this rotation. Oncethe actuation ramp 386 has rotated sufficiently, the actuator pin 398continues to move axially into contact with the swing arm 392.

The latch pin 400 depicted in FIGS. 25 and 26 is another positivelocking mechanism in the form of rotating latch pin. The latch pin 400includes a head 402 and a body 404. The latch pin 400 further includesan actuation ramp 406 extending from the body 404. The head 402 includesa lip portion 408 which engages a retaining recess 410 in a swing arm412. The latch pin 400 is pivotably supported by a pivot pin 414 andbiased toward the retaining recess 410 by a spring 416. When the lipportion 408 engages the retaining pin 410, the actuation ramp 416 isaligned with an actuator pin 418.

In operation, movement of the actuator pin 418 causes the actuator pin418 to impinge the actuation ramp 406 of the latch pin 400 imparting arotational force to the latch pin 400. The rotational force overcomesthe bias of the spring 416 causing the latch pin 400 to rotate in aclockwise direction about the pivot pin 414. The shape of the lipportion 408 and the retaining recess 410 along with the location of thelip portion 408 relative to the pivot pin 414 is selected to ensure thatan upward force is not imparted onto the retaining recess 410 from thelatch pin 404 during this rotation. Once the actuation ramp 406 hasrotated sufficiently, the actuator pin 418 continues to move axiallyinto contact with the swing arm 412.

The actuator pin 418 in this embodiment impinges a strike plate portion420 which is pivotably attached to a lower swing arm housing 422 by apivot pin 424. Spring washers 426 positioned between the strike plateportion 420 and the lower swing arm housing 422 bias the strike plateportion 420 into a position aligned with the actuator pin 418 when thelip portion 408 is within the retaining recess 410. When the actuatorpin 418 impacts the strike plate portion 420, the spring washers 426 arecompressed thereby reducing the peak force that is transferred from thestrike plate portion 420 to the other components of the swing arm 412.This allows lighter materials to be used for some components of theswing arm 412 while ensuring a rapid acceleration of the swing arm 412.

The latch pin 430 depicted in FIGS. 27 and 28 is another positivelocking mechanism in the form of rotating latch pin. The latch pin 430includes a head 432 and a body 434. The latch pin 430 further includesan actuation ramp 436 extending into the body 434. The head 432 includesa lip portion 438 which engages a retaining recess 440 in a swing arm442. The latch pin 430 is pivotably supported by a pivot pin 444 andbiased toward the retaining recess 440 by a radial spring 446. When thelip portion 438 engages the retaining pin 440, the actuation ramp 446 isaligned with an actuator pin (not shown). If desired, a second latchpin, substantially identical to the latch pin 430, may be provided inopposition to the latch pin 430.

In operation, movement of the actuator pin (not shown) causes theactuator pin (not shown) to impinge the actuation ramp 436 of the latchpin 430 and the axial force is translated into a rotational force by theactuating ramp 436 imparting a rotational force to the latch pin 430.The rotational force overcomes the bias of the spring 446 causing thelatch pin 430 to rotate in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 444and outwardly from the swing arm 442. Once the actuation ramp 436 hasrotated sufficiently, the actuator pin (not shown) continues to moveaxially into contact with a strike plate 448 on the swing arm 412.

In one embodiment, the table saw 100 does not include a carriageassembly which moves axially. By way of example, a rotational bladeheight adjustment mechanism 600 (see FIG. 29) can be used to substitutethe linear height adjustment mechanism (which includes a carriage 124 towhich the motor 116 is mounted and two guiderails 126/128, as describedabove). The rotational blade height adjustment mechanism 600 includes ablade height turn-wheel 602, a gearing assembly 604 and a heightadjustment rod 606. In one embodiment, the gearing assembly 604 is atype of worm gear assembly which includes a worm gear 608 and a wormwheel gear 610.

The blade height turn-wheel 602 is connected to the height adjustmentrod 606 which is connected to the worm gear 608. By turning the bladeheight turn-wheel 602, the worm gear 608 turns which rotates the wormwheel gear 610 which is mounted on an actuator housing 612. Variouscomponents, such as the swing arm assembly 142, the latch hold 170, andthe actuator 182 are supported by the actuator housing 612. Rotationalmovements of the worm gear 608 causes all of the components to rotateaway or towards the work-piece support surface 104. For example, arotation of the worm gear 608 in one direction causes the worm wheelgear 610 to rotate in the direction of the arrow 614 which causes theabove mentioned components to move away from the work-piece supportsurface 104.

Upon actuation of the actuator 182, the swing arm assembly 142 isde-latched from the latch hold 170 and rotates to the position shown inFIG. 30. The actuator housing 612, and the components supported by theactuator housing 612, do not rotate with the swing arm assembly 142.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same should be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes,modifications and further applications that come within the spirit ofthe invention are desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a table sawcomprising: providing a workpiece support surface; biasing a latch holdtoward a first position using an actuator; supporting a swing armassembly of the saw under the workpiece support surface with the latchhold in the first position; and disengaging the swing arm assembly fromthe latch hold using the actuator, and moving the latch hold toward asecond position by using the actuator.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinbiasing the latch hold toward the first position comprises: supporting aplug with the actuator, the plug operatively contacting the latch hold.3. The method of claim 2, wherein biasing the latch hold toward thefirst position comprises: compressing at least one spring with the plug;and biasing the latch hold toward the first position using the at leastone spring.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein biasing the latch holdtoward the first position comprises: positioning a portion of the plugwithin an actuator chamber; and forcing the portion of the plug in adirection outwardly from the actuator chamber.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein biasing the latch hold toward the first position comprises:transferring force along a first axis to force movement of the plugalong a second axis by contacting a rounded portion of the plug with theactuator, wherein the second axis is orthogonal to the first axis.
 6. Amethod of operating a table saw comprising: providing a table saw;inserting an actuator within a chamber; forcing a plug outwardly fromthe chamber by inserting the actuator; biasing a latch hold with theoutwardly forced plug; and supporting a swing arm assembly underneath aworkpiece support surface of the table saw with the biased latch hold.7. The method of claim 6, wherein biasing the latch hold comprises:compressing a spring with the plug.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein:inserting the actuator includes inserting the actuator along a firstaxis; and forcing the plug outwardly includes forcing the plug outwardlyalong a second axis, the second axis orthogonal to the first axis. 9.The method of claim 6, wherein forcing the plug outwardly comprises:contacting a rounded portion of the plug with the actuator.